Strategies

What Works for Health includes evidence-informed strategies to create communities where everyone can thrive.

212 Strategies
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Health literacy interventions

Increase patients’ health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Clinical care

Societal Rules

  • Institutional practices

Healthy Families America (HFA)

Provide home visiting services to families who are at risk for adverse childhood experiences, starting prenatally or right after birth and continuing for three to five years
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

Healthy food in convenience stores

Encourage convenience stores, corner stores, or gas station markets to carry fresh produce and other healthier food options
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Climate

Healthy food initiatives in food pantries

Combine hunger relief efforts with nutrition information and healthy eating opportunities, often with on-site cooking demonstrations, recipe tastings, produce display stands, etc.
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise
  • Climate

Healthy foods at catered events

Provide more fresh fruits and vegetables, smaller portions, low fat, and reduced sodium or reduced sugar food options and other healthy foods at catered events
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise

Helmets in collision sports

Use helmets to absorb, dissipate, and reduce impact forces to an athlete’s head and brain during collisions or falls
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Safety and social support

High school equivalency credentials

Offer programs to help individuals without a high school diploma or its equivalent achieve a high school equivalency credential
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Education
  • Income, employment and wealth

HighScope Perry Preschool model

Provided high quality preschool with home visiting to African-American children from families with low incomes with an emphasis on active learning in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Education

HOME Investment Partnership Program

Provide grants to states and localities to fund activities that build, buy, or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership, or provide direct rental assistance to households with low incomes
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Housing and transportation

Societal Rules

  • Budgets

Homework or extra credit for PE class

Assign homework or extra credit activities for physical education (PE) or health classes that require students to be physically active outside of school
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Diet and exercise